100%: the Story of a Patriot eBook

story of his “third degree.” One
benevolent lady with a flowing gray veil, who wafted
a sweet perfume about the room, suggested that Peter
might be in need, and pressed a twenty dollar bill
into his hand. Peter, thrilled, but also bewildered,
got a new sense of the wonders of this thing called
“the movement,” and decided that when
Guffey got thru with him he might turn into a “Red”
in earnest for a while.

Meantime he settled down to make himself comfortable
with the Todd sisters. Sadie went off to her
work before eight o’clock every morning, and
that was before Peter got up; but Jennie stayed at
home, and fixed his breakfast, and opened the door
for his visitors, and in general played the hostess
for him. She was a confirmed invalid; twice a
week she went off to a doctor to have something done
to her spine, and the balance of the time she was supposed
to be resting, but Peter very seldom saw her doing
this. She was always addressing circulars, or
writing letters for the “cause,” or going
off to sell literature and take up collections at meetings.
When she was not so employed, she was arguing with
somebody—­frequently with Peter—­trying
to make him think as she did.

Poor kid, she was all wrought up over the notions
she had got about the wrongs of the working classes.
She gave herself no peace about it, day or night,
and this, of course, was a bore to Peter, who wanted
peace above all things. Over in Europe millions
of men were organized in armies, engaged in slaughtering
one another. That, of course, was, very terrible,
but what was the good of thinking about it? There
was no way to stop it, and it certainly wasn’t
Peter’s fault. But this poor, deluded child
was acting all the time as if she were to blame for
this European conflict, and had the job of bringing
it to a close. The tears would come into her deep-set
grey eyes, and her soft chin would quiver with pain
whenever she talked about it; and it seemed to Peter
she was talking about it all the time. It was
her idea that the war must be stopped by uprisings
on the part of the working people in Europe.
Apparently she thought this might be hastened if the
working people of American City would rise up and
set an example!

Section 15

Jennie talked about this plan quite openly; she would
put a red ribbon in her hair, and pin a red badge
on her bosom, and go into meeting-places and sell
little pamphlets with red covers. So, of course,
it would be Peter’s duty to report her to the
head of the secret service of the Traction Trust.
Peter regretted this, and was ashamed of having to
do it; she was a nice little girl, and pretty, too,
and a fellow might have had some fun with her if she
had not been in such a hysterical state. He would
sit and look at her, as she sat bent over her typewriter.
She had soft, fluffy hair, the color of twilight,
and even white teeth, and a faint flush that came
and went in her cheeks—­yes, she would not
be bad looking at all, if only she would straighten
up, and spend a little time on her looks, as other
girls did.